Thomas Edison

rule them. There were several discussions on how America would be governed. Many people had different yet some similar ideas for America. Thomas Paine, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson all wrote their ideas on how America should set up their government. Some of these ideas were still used today but not used then. Thomas Paine stated his ideas for the government in his book, Common Sense, which was written in 1776. Paine stated that America should not…

country. Hamilton, on the other hand, took a more pessimistic approach. He believed the public naturally had selfish tendencies that would impede on their ability to make wise decisions for the country. This viewpoint was similar to the stance of Thomas Hobbes, who believed that the natural state of humanity was to violently struggle for power and wealth. In fact, Hobbes and Hamilton both shared the same view that a strong central authority was necessary to maintain peace and order. However,…

The third president of the United States was Thomas Jefferson. He was born in 1743 and grew up in a wealthy plantation with his family near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia. Since at an early age, Jefferson learned all about Latin, Greek, and French history from the Anglican clergy. After the death of his father, he inherited the large plantation he lived in along with slaves that worked there. During his higher education years, Thomas Jefferson attended the College of William and Mary…

the year or 1796 and 1801, major rivalries and social divisions began to break out. Some of these political and social divisions are brought up among the following readings; “Farewell Address” by George Washington, the “First Inaugural Address” by Thomas Jefferson, and “Reflections on Meeting Jefferson” by Margaret Smith. These all reflect the social scene during this time period and demonstrate the separation between both political parties. By studying these readings one can better understand…

Sir Thomas More was born in 1478, and through his 57 years on this earth he accomplished many things. From writing amazing literature, to serving as an important counselor to King Henry VIII, Thomas More was a remarkable and moving person, but our story doesn’t start with him. The year is 1509, and England is celebrating the appointment of their new King, Henry the Eighth, and his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Seven years later, Catherine gave birth to her and Henry’s first child,…

The Real of the Ideal The meaning of an American identity is an ideal and a contradiction. In Creating America, Joyce Moser and Ann Watters suggest that, “In understanding American identities, we need to come to terms with unity and division, with separateness and common ground”. This quotation is full of contradictions such as “unity” to “division” and “separateness” to “common ground”. The contradiction gives a complete image of America. The argument stated by Moser and Watters seems to be…

Thomas Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of our Nation, he helped drafted the Declaration of Independence, and eventually became the 3rd president of the United States. However, Jefferson was a contradiction in every sense of the word; despite the fact, he promoted individual liberties such as the freedoms of religion, conscience and most illogicality the freedom of personal liberty, he owned slaves and viewed Africans as inferior. His views on slavery and race are most prevalent in an…

Thomas Hobbes, a political philosopher who established the social contract theory and became a foundation in Western political philosophy. When presented this claim: "The more equal people are, the easier it is for them to live in peace. If people were perfectly equal, there would be no more wars.", Hobbes response to this assertion would have been rejection, according to his book; The Citizens. He would be at this conclusion because he does not think humans should live in equality. He believes…

John Locke, an English philosopher, once said, “All men are naturally in a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of Nature, without asking leave or depending upon the will of any other man.” A person’s idea of freedom can be completely different from someone else’s even if both people live in the same country. One person can think of freedom as being economically independent and another person…

growing up with a father, and growing up without a father. Both books include a character that leads to success, one book also has a character that has a fallout and ends up with the opposite of success. The two books are Losing My Cool written by Thomas Chatterton Williams and the second is The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. Having a father can give you someone to look up too, guide you, and help you throughout life. “What he hoped was that if he could somehow just make reading and studying…